Chicago family says they're homeless after burst pipe floods apartment

CHICAGO - A nightmare scenario unfolded for a Chicago family who says they are now homeless after a broken pipe flooded their apartment with water.

The Collins family, who lives in the 5100 block of South Calumet Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood, experienced a burst pipe due to the extremely cold temperatures, leading to water leakage.

Despite the family's claims of the apartment being uninhabitable, the Chicago Housing Authority asserts that the property is fit for occupation.

"I was watching a movie and then I started hearing water run," said Shameka Collins, a mother of three.

The pipe burst occurred on Sunday night and wasn't addressed until Monday morning. Shameka says the water entered the electrical panel, prompting safety concerns from the Chicago Fire Department. As a result, she — along with her 8-year-old special needs son and daughters aged 11 and 13 — is currently homeless and relying on couch-surfing.

"Here you see the water pouring in this video, it stayed like that for nine hours," said Shameka.

CHA, which is responsible for housing provision, mentioned that their property manager repaired the damaged pipe on Monday morning. However, the family insists that the apartment hasn't dried out, and water has affected multiple areas that require drying and repairs. Despite CHA's assertion of the apartment's habitability, the family is contending the living conditions.

In response, CHA encouraged the resident to file a claim for damaged property.

"We understand that this has been a stressful situation and have encouraged the resident to file a claim for damaged property," CHA said in a statement.

The family remains adamant about the need for further repairs before the apartment can be considered suitable for occupation.